Hydro plane



June 25, 1963 H. o 3,094,962

HYDRO PLANE Filed April 27, 1962 INVENTOR. 15075171 6 01??? United States Patent 3,094,962 HYDRO PLANE Harry Joseph Gear, 2425 Broadway, Mattoon, Ill. Filed Apr. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 190,557 3 Claims. (Cl. 114--66.5)

This invention relates to boats and hydro planes and the like, and particularly to what I choose to term a hydro plane, or hydroplane racing boat.

The main object of my invention is to provide a cabover hydro plane boat with streamline and water sled features producing speed and lift and allowing adjustment to compensate for different persons driving the boat and displaying great stability at all times.

An ancillary object of my invention is to have short side wings contributing to the streamline and lift characteristics of the boat and forming attachment points for adjustment elements for the boat.

An important object of my invention is therefore to provide a hydro plane boat of this character with adjustable sponsons variably attached to the outer ends of the wings for altering the trim of the boat according to different weights of drivers of the boat.

A further object of my invention is to have the sponsons streamlined upon the top and outer sides thereof while the inboard sides are substantially straight and adapted to be secured at various positions along the same to corresponding portions upon the outer extremities of the wings to be rigid therewith.

A practical object of the invention is also to have the boat provided amidship with a cockpit to be occupied :by the driver and a rear engine well for the engine intended to drive the boat Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear in further detail as the specification proceeds.

In order to facilitate clear comprehension of this invention for a proper appreciation of the salient features thereof, the invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a cabover hydro plane made according to the invention and embodying the same in a practical and operable form;

FIGURE 2 is a rear perspective exploded view showing the sponsons separated from the boat body at the ends of its rigid wings;

1 and FIGURE :6 shows a sponson from the inboard side which is directly secured to the outer end of a wing of the boat.

Throughout the views, the same reference numerals indicate the same parts and features.

In connection with boats of the hydro plane class, especially for racing, it is important to have not only streamline form and capacity for scaling the water surface, but

also efiective means for altering and correcting the trim of the boat according to the size and weight of the driver who is to operate the boat. On a delicately balanced boat, this factor can be critical and thus essentially to adjust accurately. I would therefore propose to combine a hydro plane boat with water sled properties and adjustable sponson Outriggers of special construction and nature, as will be set forth in the following, due reference being bad to the mentioned drawing.

Hence, in the practice of my invention, a boat body of hydro plane type, generally indicated at 7 has an almost fiat bottom 8 (FIGURES 3 and 4) which curves slightly upward at 9, 9 toward the sides and also at 10, 11 toward the front and rear. Up front, the nose 12 is rounded and provided with a spoiler 13 to serve as a pad on rough Water, the spoiler comprising a generally flattened area, while at both sides rearwardly inclined opposite chines 14, 14 define air traps 15, 15 within them Intermediate the ends, the boat widens to form a pair of opposite projections or stubby wings 16, :16 of airfoil section, as best seen at 17 in FIGURE 2 which also shows how these wings end abruptly in flat outer ends 18, 18. The boat body is preferably of hollow, internally reinforced construction as indicated at 19 "(FIGURE 4) and at the front, an operators cockpit 20 is located behind the cowl 21, but rearwardly of this cockpit is the high body portion 22 with an upstanding fin 23 thereon, the two upper sides 24, 24 above and within the Wings 16 extend the length of the craft and at the rear form the sides of an engine well 25 with a bottom 26 having the motor clearance 27.

On the bottom in the same vertical plane with top fin 23 is fixed a rearward fin 28 that at least partially serves as a keel, while upon the front cowling 21 is fixed a mooring loop 29, and upon the rear end of the boat at both sides of the motor well 25 are fixed hitching loops 30, 30.

Each of the two wings 16 has its flat outer ends provided with holes 38 for receiving bolts 3'7 by which to secure a pair of sponsons 31 and 32 individually to these wings as best shown in FIGURE 4. The inboard sides 34 and 35 mate with flat outer ends 18, 18 of the wings, the one sponson 31 having a depending fin 33 to cooperate with bottom fin 28 for stabilizing the craft. As best shown in FIGURE 6, the fiat inboard side 34 of sponson 31 has a row of holes 36, any two of which will match the two holes 38 of wing 16, while an access cover 40 upon removal allows insertion of bolts 37 to fit the sponson in place, the holes 36 being selected according to the fore or aft position desired, according to the size and weight of the driver of the craft. The sponsons are in a sense semi-streamlined, for exteriorly of the fiat inboard sides thereof they are streamlined upon their entire outer sides 39, 41 in opposite manner, as easily seen in FIGURE 3.

The shape of the bottom 8 makes it tend to scale and ride over the water, while the generally airfoil form of the sponsons, and especially of the Wings 16 tend to impart a lift to the craft as it travels along, the sponsons being substantially streamlined outrigger pontoons, and in combination with the chines 14 and air traps 15 and the depending fins 28 and 33 serve to render the craft steady and virtually impossible to tip over, but will glide along a smooth course on the water.

Manifestly, variations may be resorted to, and part-s may be modified or used without others within the scope of the appended claims.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim:

1. A hydroplane boat including a boat body having two sides extending along the length of the boat with a bottom disposed beneath both side-s and extending laterally outward in opposite directions, a pair of rigid short wings projecting from said sides with the lower surfaces thereof merging with said bottom, a cockpit for a drive for the boat in the forward portion thereof between said sides, means carried upon said wings for balancing and determining the trim of said boa-t, said bottom having a pair of inclined chines extending rearwardly at the sides defining air traps between them, said body having a high intermediate portion rearwardly of the cockpit and an engine well disposed at the extreme rear portion thereof between the sides of the craft, said last mentioned means including a pair of elongated sponsons detachably secured upon the outer ends of the wings, said wings having an airfoil sectional form, a depending fin upon the boat bottom, and a depending fin upon one of the two sponsons.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 117,415 Gassaway Oct. 31, 1939 4 Kemp Sept. 24, Lake Feb. 22, Warner Dec. 12, Apel Sept. 6, Plaziak Apr. 14, Kiekhaefer Oct. 20, Follett Feb. 2 8,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Italy Nov. 23, Australia Oct. 21, Great Britain June 26, 

1. A HYDROPLANE BOAT INCLUDING A BOAT BODY HAVING TWO SIDES EXTENDING ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE BOAT WITH A BOTTOM DISPOSED BENEATH BOTH SIDES AND EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARD IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, A PAIR OF RIGID SHORT WINGS PROJECTING FROM SAID SIDES WITH THE LOWER SURFACES THEREOF MERGING WITH SAID BOTTOM, A COCKPIT FOR A DRIVE FOR THE BOAT IN THE FORWARD PORTION THEREOF BETWEEN SAID SIDES, MEANS CARRIED UPON SAID WINGS FOR BALANCING AND DETERMINING THE TRIM OF SAID BOAT, SAID BOTTOM HAVING A PAIR OF INCLINED CHINES EXTENDING REARWARDLY AT THE SIDES DEFINING AIR TRAPS BETWEEN THEM, SAID BODY HAVING A HIGH INTERMEDIATE PORTION REARWARDLY OF THE COCKPIT AND AN ENGINE WELL DISPOSED AT THE EXTREME REAR PORTION THEREOF BETWEEN THE SIDES OF THE CRAFT, SAID LAST MENTIONED MEANS INCLUDING A PAIR OF ELONGATED SPONSONS DETACHABLY SECURED UPON THE OUTER ENDS OF THE WINGS, SAID WINGS HAVING AN AIRFOIL SECTIONAL FORM, A DEPENDING FIN UPON THE BOAT BOTTOM, AND A DEPENDING FIN UPON ONE OF THE TWO SPONSONS. 